The Cultural Basis of Our Environmental Crisis

Lewis Moncrief makes many valid points in this article that strongly disprove Lynn White's theory on the responsibility of the Church in the degradation of the environment. Moncrief reminds the readers that humans have been altering their environment since their beginning. White himself says this in his article. Humans cannot exist without affecting their environment. It's impossible. Maybe the impact is increasingly obvious with the modern age, but there is no way to have any idea of the impact on the environment way back when. I agree wholeheartedly with Moncrief when he points out that the "fire drive method of hunting" that existed for the prehistoric humans had to have had strong impacts on the environment.

Moncrief reminds his readers that no culture can eliminate the "egocentric tendencies" of people. This is a strong case. Human beings will always be egocentric. It is an innate curse unfortunately. People are selfish in nature, thinking about their own betterment above all else. The Church does not change the way people are. It can't instill that which has always been inside human beings. Democratization most definitely enhanced the opportunity for every individual to take advantage of that innate selfishness. It allowed for more individuals to have their own impact on the environment. Moncrief makes a strong point suggesting that this democratization coupled with an increasing population took a terrible toll on the environment. It makes perfect sense. The environment didn't stand a chance.

Moncrief goes on to point out that the original frontiersmen eliminated much of the natural resources that to them seemed inexhaustible and "in the way" of their exploration and settlement. Ignorance is bliss for these people. The environment has been affected for a long time now. He is right in saying that there have been multiple forces to blame. The rest of the world's environment is suffering too. The Church cannot be held responsible for the global environment suffering. However, egocentric people exist all over the globe. Technology exists all over the globe, along with science and urbanization. It seems a lot more logical that there are many contributory factors in the equation.

Neither I nor Moncrief are saying that White is wrong because the truth is that no one can know for sure. Is there one cause? Is there multiple causes? How can it be fixed? We all know these questions are unanswered. Moncrief offers plausible alternatives to White's seemingly unfair finger pointing.